While a lot of teams were mentioned in the LeBron James sweepstakes, many felt his decision would come down to the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers. Instead, the four-time MVP has shocked everyone by choosing the Philadelphia 76ers.
Many Warriors fans had the same immediate reaction: Bob freakin’ Myers. The former Warriors GM made the case for LeBron to come to Philly on the ridiculous Rich Paul whiteboard podcast, and it seems the case he made was convincing enough to get James to bring his talents to the City of Brotherly Love.
Bob Myers' post-Warriors career has to sting for Golden State
Myers is the President of Sports for Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment which is the managing entity for the Sixers. He is not necessarily involved in the nitty-gritty day-to-day decisions of a GM, but he is involved in high-level decisions like trading for Jaylen Brown or getting arguably the greatest basketball player of all time to now sign with the team.
What an offseason it’s been for Myers and the 76ers. Landing Brown and James makes Philly a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference, and they're unquestionably going to be one of the must-watch teams next season.
It has to sting for the Warriors to see Myers leave and have this success elsewhere. He left Golden State because he saw the writing on the wall and knew that the team was likely heading for a steady decline. James choosing the Sixers over the Warriors really just hammers home the fact that the Warriors are no longer seen as a premium destination.
It's not like it was a decade ago when Kevin Durant joined the team and it seemed like everyone wanted to come to the Warriors to compete for a ring. Now they are almost an afterthought, or at the very least a "fading dynasty" as head coach Steve Kerr has put it. No one wants to jump aboard a sinking ship.
The only real allure of playing in Golden State for James would have been playing with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, but the 41-year-old made it clear in his reasoning that he wants to win another championship, and thinks he can do that with the 76ers. By implication, that means he didn't think he could do that in the Bay.
Now the Warriors have to move forward, staring another likely Play-In berth in the face, knowing that Bob Myers is laughing somewhere and feeling incredibly smart for jumping ship and finding himself in a much more promising situation in Philadelphia.Â
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